Tuesday, July 2, 2013

One of my families suggested to a local magazine, called InFocus, to write an article about my StrongStart centre.

I was excited but nervous at the same time. Yes I want the journalist, Debbie Bowman, to come and write but will the philosophy and purpose of the program come through in her writing?

She spent about half the morning at the centre. First interviewing me, before the families arrived, then moving around and chatting with the grown ups in the room. I'm glad she did that because the families are the biggest part of my philosophy for my StrongStart centre; building a community together to learn and share with each other.

Read on and I think you'll agree with me that Debbie did a fantastic job explaining what StrongStart is all about.

Giving Kids a Strong Start

BC StrongStart program provides a healthy and fun introduction to learning for kids and caregivers

By Debbie Bowman • June & July 2013

“At
StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet the child’s
interests and developmental needs, both the child and the adult are
invited to play and learn together,” says facilitator Maureen Wagner.
Photo by Boomer Jerritt

The StrongStart room located at Brooklyn Elementary may be the size
of a normal classroom, but it is chock-a-block full of activities
designed to hold a young child’s attention.

Every corner, every nook and cranny, is stocked with toys, games,
books and art supplies that are there for the sole purpose of helping a
young mind grow and have fun. In the storytelling corner, underneath
the big green leaf, are stacks of books and comfy cushions.

In another corner is the aquarium where the tadpoles are just about
to sprout legs. There’s the home life area, with a miniature kitchen
complete with appliances, dishes, pots, pans and pretend food. The art
centre with everything imaginable to create works of art has all the
supplies within the child’s reach. Near the front door is a netted
enclosure where the caterpillars are hanging out, waiting to emerge as
butterflies. And smack dab in the middle of the room is the dramatic
play area—this time it’s a kid-sized bus complete with steering wheel,
seats for passengers, safety handles and pull cords.

It is so colorful and fun, it makes one wish they were a young child.
Maureen Wagner is the facilitator of the Brooklyn StrongStart program.
Trained as an Early Childhood Educator, Wagner has worked with children
and families for approximately 30 years. For the past six years, she’s
facilitated the StrongStart program at Brooklyn Elementary and has
turned the StrongStart room into the amazing cornucopia of fun that it
is.

The StrongStart BC program was initiated by the Ministry of Education
seven years ago to address the growing belief that education during a
child’s earliest years is critically important. In fact, one US study,
the Abecedarian Project, demonstrated that young children who receive
high quality early childhood education from birth to age five excel in
reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school and
receive a four year university degree. The study concluded that a
child’s attendance in an early childhood program is directly associated
with long lasting benefits that reach well into one’s adulthood.

British Columbia’s Ministry of Education also believes that the
benefits of early childhood education should be available to every child
in our province, so the StrongStart program is completely free of
charge. “Not all parents can afford daycare or preschool,” Wagner
notes. “The StrongStart program makes early childhood education
available to every family.”

Currently there are more than 300 StrongStart programs operating in
the province, and more than 33,000 children access the program every
year. Here in the Comox Valley there are four full time StrongStart
centres at the Queenesh, Cumberland, Courtenay and Brooklyn Elementary
schools. In addition there are five outreach sites that run on a
reduced schedule at the Denman and Hornby elementary schools, and Aspen,
Royston and Miracle Beach elementary schools.

Unlike daycare or preschool, the StrongStart program is not a place
where caregivers drop off their children. “Instead of a drop off
program, StrongStart is a drop-in program designed for both the child
and the adult,” says Wagner. In fact, parents or grandparents can drop
in anytime the program is running, between the hours of 8:30 am and
12:00 pm, Monday through Friday during the school year. According to
Wagner, that’s where the magic really happens.

“Here at StrongStart, by carefully setting an environment that meet
the child’s interests and developmental needs, both the child and the
adult are invited to play and learn together. By providing early
childhood education programs like StrongStart, we are assisting the
family to build their child’s language, basic academic and social
skills, such as working and getting along with others, through play.”

That one-on-one time between a young child and an adult is truly
golden, says Wagner. “StrongStart provides the chance for uninterrupted
play between children and their caregivers. There’s no phone to answer,
no laundry to fold. It’s just 100 per cent playtime; 100 per cent child
and caregiver time.”

Jody Williams has attended StrongStart with her three-year-old
daughter Olivia for the past two years, and she’s a big fan of Wagner
and the Brooklyn program. “Mrs. Wagner is one of those teachers you’ll
never forget,” Williams says. “It’s truly amazing how Mrs. Wagner always
goes above and beyond expectations.”

Williams especially appreciates how Wagner and the children will
choose a theme together, and how Wagner will then transform the room to
fit the agreed-upon theme. For example, last month the kids went on a
bus ride and for a visit to the bus yard. “Most of the kids had never
been on a bus,” says Williams. “It was pretty exciting for most of the
kids.” That excitement continued when the families returned to the room
the next day, because Wagner had redesigned the dramatic play area to be
a transit bus. “It was so much fun to help create the bus in the room
afterwards,” Williams says. “Mrs. Wagner created the shell, but the
kids and the parents finished it together.”

Williams also notes that it’s not just her daughter Olivia who has
benefited from the program. The activities and crafts they do together
at StrongStart are often things they can imitate at home. “When I
attend the StrongStart program with Olivia, I see so much I would never
have thought of —things Olivia and I can do together at home,” she says.
“Really, the parents in the room are learning just as much as the
kids.”

That has been Wagner’s goal from the start. “My philosophy to the
parents is ‘You can do this’,” Wagner says. “StrongStart shows parents
that spending quality and enriching time together doesn’t have to be
expensive or complicated.”

Parents also benefit from the program because it’s an opportunity for
them to meet, share ideas, and make connections. “When the parents get
together at the StrongStart program it’s a place where they can talk to
one another and learn from one another,” she says. “The adults ask each
other advice and they share their experiences, all which helps to
develop a positive nurturing environment for the children.”

The program also helps the caregivers become comfortable in their
child’s school environment. “Here at Brooklyn Elementary my focus is to
set up a program where families feel welcome, comfortable and
confident,” Wagner says. “I’ll often have home baked goodies for the
adults, and the coffee is always on.” By encouraging the parents to
become involved early on in their child’s education, the StrongStart
program makes it more likely that the parents will stay engaged as their
child’s education continues.

“StrongStart is part of creating a strong foundation with the
families and the schools by buddying with older classes, accessing the
gym and library and taking part in the many activities that the school
offers. We are assisting in building trust and confidence between
families and the school environment.”

Good news travels fast, and word is getting around that the
StrongStart program is the place to be. “It can be really busy in
here. In fact, one day we had 50 children show up. Though it was
exciting, it’s not a day I’d like to repeat,” says Wagner with a laugh.
On average, 30 to 35 children drop in at one time or another during the
course of each day. Considering that each child has an adult with
them, it’s easy to imagine how busy the Brooklyn StrongStart room must
get at times.

And the kids are busy too, learning that is—though they probably
don’t know that. To the kids, they’re just having fun. But according
to Wagner, that’s the very thing she’s hoping to achieve.
“StrongStart is a play-based environment that builds on the interests
of the children. It provides a variety of play options like art,
dramatic play, science and more which can be intermingled depending on
the children’s exploration and creativity. A play-based program allows
the children to take risks, problem solve and delve further into a
topic.” Wagner calls it learning through discovery.

Wagner also works hard to make sure the children have plenty of time
to discover their community and to experience nature. “We live in a
beautiful area, so as much as possible we explore and learn through
outdoor adventures in nature,” she says. “I’m really trying to help the
kids make lasting connections to the outside world.”

Those outdoor adventures can be pretty magical. For example, Wagner
heard of a new fairy door trail up in Cumberland. “I thought it was
something the kids would enjoy, so we took a field trip there to explore
the trail,” says Wagner. The kids were so enthralled that Wagner
decided to help the kids create their own magical fairy door trail.
They painted wooden doors and installed them at the base of trees in a
nearby forest. They also created their own fairies out of things they
found in nature and placed them throughout the trail. “The path between
the fairy doors is quite worn down now,” says Wagner. “Fairy Lane has
become very popular with the children and the local community.”

StrongStart is a multi-generational program that creates connections
between people of all ages. The children themselves range in age from
newborn to five, and the adults range from young parents to
grandparents. The kids even interact with older kids from the school on
a regular basis. This is called the buddy system and it’s based on the
Roots of Empathy program that was started in Toronto. Big Buddy Day,
as it’s called, occurs between the StrongStart children and the Grade 7
students every second week.

Grade
7 Brooklyn Elementary student Kyle reads to three-year-old Aria while
her mom Lana looks on, as part of the StrongStart “Big Buddy Day,” where
older students mentor the young kids in the StrongStart program. Photo
by Boomer Jerritt

Olivia’s mom, Jody Williams, believes that the interaction between
the younger and older children is vitally important, especially in this
era of bullying. “The buddy system is a great program,” she says. “When
the StrongStart kids buddy up with the seventh graders it’s great to
see how, despite the age gap, the kids are forging relationships. The
older kids learn to truly enjoy the younger ones and from those
relationships respect and empathy can be learned.”

To further enhance the multigenerational aspect of the program, once a
month the Brooklyn StrongStart children visit the residents of Glacier
View Lodge. “When the children come to visit it really affects the
residents,” says Liz Friis, director of Resident Lifestyle and Community
Programmer at Glacier View. “There is a twinkle in their eyes and their
smiles are broad.

“There is a sense of peace in the room too. It’s just a joy to watch”
Friis adds, noting that the children are also positively affected.
“These multi-generational visits create a culture of people and a
generation of youth that respect their elders and who are willing to
help in their communities.”

StrongStart is all about creating connections and community. “During
the six years of facilitating the StrongStart centre my belief that
family and community are key in the education of our children has really
grown,” says Wagner. “I strongly believe in the old adage that it takes
a village to raise a child, and here at StrongStart, I try to create an
atmosphere for others to believe it too.”